Blog Posts in U.S. Policy

Over two dozen humanitarian organizations and NGOs have issued a joint appealto Secretary of State John F. Kerry and Director of Office of Management and Budget Sylvia M. Burwell in advance of President Obama’s FY2015 Budget request to Congress, asking them to fulfill existing U.S. commitments in South Sudan and anticipate growing needs in the Central African Republic.

For the first time, the United States has announced a National Strategy for Combating Wildlife Trafficking and a ban on the commercial trade of elephant ivory. This new strategy aims to “ensure that the United States is not contributing to poaching of elephants and illegal trade in elephant ivory.” Essentially, the U.S. ban prohibits commercial imports and exports in the hopes of leading a global effort to effectively protect and preserve our world’s wildlife and develop respect for the rule of law.The announcement also pledged to work closely with Congress to strengthen existing laws that combat wildlife trafficking and to adopt new ones to increase our ability to end this global challenge.

Today the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding a hearing on the urgent crisis unfolding in South Sudan. The U.S. has played a crucial role in supporting past peace efforts in Sudan and South Sudan over the past couple decades, and should continue that tradition now. There are a number of specific things the U.S. can do to make a real difference in supporting peace right now in South Sudan that I outline in my testimony.

As this year comes to a close we remember the moments, both good and bad, which shaped our ongoing work to end crimes against humanity and mass atrocities in 2013. Take a minute to reflect on the successes of this year and our continued efforts in 2014 to make strides toward peace.

On December 15, violent clashes erupted on the streets of Juba, South Sudan’s capital city. While the details surrounding the spark of the violence are unclear, it is already apparent that these clashes have the potential to destabilize the entire country. Despite the operational constraints posed by the U.S. embassy’s evacuation of all non-essential staff, the United States government can and must do more to help avert a return to civil war in South Sudan. In an open memorandum the Enough Project outlines possible steps the U.S. could take in addition to what is presently being done.